The Song
by Totallymath
Summary: He looked away. "I think you should leave." His back was to me now, shutting me out. I wanted to help him, wanted to make him feel better. ((Marshall Lee seems to have something heavy on his mind upsetting him, but Fionna doesn't know what. Questions about his past are raised when he sings a personal song - will his sudden mood changes falter their relationship? A FioLee story :D))
1. Chapter 1

**Hi there :) This is my first fanfic! I don't really have anything much to say...**

**Enjoy :D**

***I don't own Adventure Time***

* * *

I waited quietly outside the door of a small house in a dark, musty cave. It was odd to see such a dainty little house built in the middle of a cavern, but then again, he _was_ a strange person. But I didn't mind. It was what attracted me to him.

The door swung open and Marshall Lee floated there in his red plaid shirt, unbuttoned to show off his epic rock band t-shirt. He wore jeans that were well worn out but looked comfortable enough.

"Hey, Fionna," he said, his fangs showing a little behind an awkward smile. "I'm glad you could make it. I really needed some feedback on a new song I've been working on."

"Oh, no problem, Marshall." The sound of my name in his voice made me blush. Thank goodness, Cake wasn't here – she would've noticed my infatuation with Marshall, if she hasn't already. Instead of coming over for a jam session with Marshall, Cake had decided to go on a day out with Lord Monochromicorn, her boyfriend. It was just me. And Marshall.

He guided me through the kitchen, into the living room and up a ladder, which led to his bedroom where he wrote his music.

"Sorry it's a little messy." He scratched his head. "I tried to clean up but I guess I didn't do a very good job."

I didn't care whether there were some old, possibly unwashed shirts lying around his room, and crumpled up pieces of paper scattered all over the carpet. Marshall had tried to clean up for me, despite his somewhat lazy and careless attitude.

"Don't worry about it. Let's hear that song of yours," I said, sitting myself on the edge of his bed.

"It's a little personal, but I think I trust you, Fionna." Marshall grabbed his axe-bass and adjusted its tune a little. He strummed a few chords, humming some notes before his voice sang, crisp and clear.

"_Mom, why did you eat my pie?_

_I baked them, and they were mine._

_But you ate them; yeah you ate my pie._

_And I cried, but you didn't see me cry._

_Mother, do you even love me?_

_Well I wish you'd show it, 'cause I wouldn't know it._

_What kind of mother eats her son's pie?_

_And doesn't even look him in the eye._

_Mother there were tears there._

_If you saw them, would you even care?"_

I couldn't help staring at his lips as the words poured out of his mouth. His eyes were shut, feeling the emotion he had put into this song. When he opened them, they were wet. He quickly wiped his eyes and looked away, clearly embarrassed.

"So, yeah," he mumbled. "How was it?"

"It's different from what you usually write," I said, unsure of what exactly I felt of his song. "But it had a lot of emotion in it. It showed."

Marshall placed his base on a desk piled with loose paper. There were words scribbled on them – I assumed they were lyrics to his songs.

He sighed. "I guess I'm not used to writing songs like this."

"Personal songs?" I questioned.

He nodded, jet-black hair falling into his glowing amber eyes. He slid a piece of paper from under his bass and tore it apart, the sound making me cringe as if I heard fingernails on chalkboard. The words to the song must have been written on that paper.

"What are you doing?" I whispered.

He didn't answer and kept tearing the paper to bits.

"Stop it, Marshall!" I got up and grabbed his wrist. I could see the shock in his face as he turned towards me. "The song _was_ good. Downright math. It was just different from usual, that's all."

"I know, but what I wrote…" His eyes dug into mine, but it was obvious that his mind was somewhere else.

"What about it?"

He looked away, not answering me. "I think you should leave."

I took a step closer to him, but he repeated again, "Please, leave."

His back was to me now, shutting me out. I wanted to help him, wanted to make him feel better. But he just floated there, shaking his head. I finally listened to him and headed towards the ladder that led out of his room. Before I descended, I glanced back at Marshall one last time. His body shook, and he brought his arm up to his face to cover his eyes in his sleeve.

I climbed down, trying to forget what I had seen, leaving the place before any thought of staying could cross my mind.

* * *

**Thanks for reading I'm so happy asdfghjkl anyways it's *obvious* that the song Marshall sang was a switched up version of the Fry Song.**

**I don't know if they're OOC or what, and I apologize for the chapter being super short.**

**Well I'm kinda stuck right now so some suggestions would be great ;_;**

**(I know whats going to happen at the end, but for the middle I have no idea orz)**


	2. Chapter 2

***I don't own Adventure Time***

* * *

"I don't know Cake." I rolled over to my side on my bed, hands over my face. "He told me he wanted my opinion, but then he goes and…"

I remembered the sound of paper being shredded to bits, the distressed expression in his eyes. _Ugh_, I thought, _why can't you tell me what's wrong?_

The saddened look on his face as he sang the song slipped into my mind. Had he sang something way too personal, but didn't realize it until after he sang it? How come he never told me before that he had a mom? What was the issue between them, anyways?

I must've looked like I was straining myself with my thoughts, because Cake stroked my shoulder, saying, "Now, don't stress yourself out. He's a Vampire, you can't really expect what he's gonna do next."

She climbed onto my bed, sat herself somewhere in front of me and yanked my fingers away from my eyes. "Look, Fionna," she said quietly. "Maybe he's going through some tough times."

"You think?"

"Of course. Even guys – probably even that vampire boyfriend of yours – have days when they're feeling down."

I shot a glare at her, desperately trying to look serious, although I knew my face had reddened in betrayal. "He's not my boyfriend!"

Cake made a skeptical face. "Sure."

"I just…" I paused, struggling to think of an excuse for being interested in Marshall's problems. "I just care about him, because he's a friend, okay?"

I sat up and leaned my back against the headboard of my bed. "But he really wasn't himself after he sang that song," I said, head tilted back, staring at the ceiling. "And I don't understand why he would ask for _me_ to listen if it was clearly too personal to share."

_It's a little personal, but I think I trust you, Fionna._

Marshall's voice rang through my skull and my face started feeling hot. He had trusted me. What if he was…

"Girl, your face is red! I know you're thinking about him!" Cake exclaimed.

"…Shut up, Cake." I lightly smacked her away with my arm. I took my pillow and rested it over my face, hopefully hiding my flushed cheeks.

I let out a tired groan.

I couldn't stop thinking about Marshall. Had he been trying to open up to me? Maybe he chose the wrong song to play. Or perhaps he was just purely embarrassed of the song, and didn't want me thinking he was losing his cool, careless vibe. Whatever the reason, I knew something for sure - I didn't understand guys – much less _vampires_ – at all.

Soon enough, I fell asleep, my questions still unanswered.

* * *

I awoke to the sound of loud tapping and harsh whispers.

"Fionna! I need to talk to you!"

I yawned and rubbed my eyes, confused.

"Fionna!" A voice hissed from the other side of my bedroom window.

Any grogginess I had dissipated immediately as I realized who was drumming on the glass.

"Marshall?" I mumbled, disbelieving what I saw. His face was literally pressed against the glass, eyes full of anxiety. It was still quite dark outside. What time was it?

I kicked my blankets away, and swung my legs over to the side of my bed. I got up and tiptoed over to the windowpane, making an effort not to awaken Cake, who was still somehow asleep.

I pushed the window open. "Marsh, what are you doing here?"

He hesitated. "I need to – I have to apologize to you."

_Oh Glob_. I remembered yesterday and my stomach did somersaults and cartwheels. I'd almost forgotten what had happened, and I silently wished I could have kept it that way. "No, you don't have to. It wasn't your fault. It's no one's fault. There's nothing to apologize about." I plastered on a fake smile but I could tell he was able to see through it.

"No," he said sternly, "I'm sorry Fionna. I shouldn't have reacted that way. I shouldn't have made you leave."

I exhaled deeply, realizing that I was holding my breath.

"You were only trying to help, but I refused it." He looked at me and my heart thumped faster against my chest. "I'm sorry."

I twiddled my fingers. "Can't you tell me what's on your mind?"

Surprisingly, he laughed. "If I did that, I'm afraid you wouldn't want to hang with me anymore."

I was uncertain of what he meant, but more or less relieved to hear the sound of his laughter again. I smiled, the real deal this time.

"C'mon, I want to show you something." Marshall grabbed my wrist, but quickly let go. A sly grin spread across his face. "I think you might want to change first."

I looked down and blushed furiously. I was in my orange onesie pyjamas. I shut the window, pulled the curtains and changed quietly in the dark.

"Nice P.J's, Fionna." I could imagine him grinning and chuckling to himself.

But I didn't mind. I felt like I had the old Marshall back, and I couldn't help grinning and chuckling myself.

* * *

**Whoa, I'm actually making some progress! (Maybe.)**

**I have no idea whether the window in Fionna's room actually opens or not, but in this story it does so whatevs. And also I threw in the curtains because girls need some privacy okay, even if they for some reason don't use them when they're sleeping.**

**Anyways, Marshall seems kinda bipolar here haha :D**

**I think I'm starting to have an idea of where this story is going, but I'm still open to suggestions!**


	3. Chapter 3

**I'm sorry I haven't updated in what, 2 weeks? I was busy with school, not to mention I had a little bit of writers block -_- I was stuck for a bit, but some ideas had struck into my mind just last week. I hope this slightly longer chapter will make it up to you guys.**

**Oh, and thanks for the reviews! I'm glad to see some of you guys are actually enjoying this story! Keep them coming yo!  
**

***I don't own Adventure Time***

* * *

"You're not gonna bring that sword, are you?" Marshall asked, taking one good look at me as I stood outside the front door of the tree fort.

I had reached for my backpack, pulling out a slightly worn out sword that happened to be my favourite. I held the sword out, the gold catching the glow of moonlight. "Of course I will. Lots of crazy stuff happens at night. You never know."

Marshall laughed a bit as I swung my sword to slice the empty air. "Suit yourself."

"I thought you of all people would be aware of all the dangers of nighttime."

"Because I'm a vampire?" At the word 'vampire', he twisted his face into a monstrous one, his amber eyes wide, bearing his sharp fangs.

I giggled, like I always do whenever he makes that face. "Where are we going anyways?"

"I just thought we should have a little outing," he said. "A midnight's stroll."

"All of the sudden?"

He fell silent and I wondered if I had said the wrong thing. He turned around so he wasn't facing me anymore. His head was tilted back, like he was staring up at something in the blackness of the sky. I followed his gaze but saw nothing but the luminescent moon hovering over us.

Marshall spoke finally, after a long silence that hung in the air like mist. "I'm just really tired of junk. I want a night where I can forget about everything, even if it's just for a while." He spun around and his eyes lay on mine. "And I want my bro to keep me company."

I wasn't sure whether I should be flattered that he thought of me as his 'bro', or to be a little upset that he didn't seem to think of me as more than just a mere friend. I pushed those thoughts away and reminded myself that we _were_ pretty close friends. He chose _me_, out of all the people of Aaa, to hang out with him, didn't he? The idea caused me to slip out a goofy grin.

"Why are you smiling like that?" Marshall's voice suddenly broke through my train of thought.

"Nothing!" I said, my voice sounding a little too cheery. I breathed in, trying to relax. "It's nothing, really."

He smirked. "Whatever. We need to go pick up some stuff from my place first."

I didn't ask why and just nodded. I started walking while he floated about, but all of the sudden I was up in the air, feet dangling high above the solid ground.

I looked up to see Marshall carrying me by my arms and soaring across the vast expanse of grass and trees. I gasped as l realized how far off from the ground we were. His grip on my arm was tight, but not tight enough to hurt. He was strong, I could tell.

I felt my cheeks flush red. "What are you...?"

"We'll go faster this way," he explained.

I didn't argue and watched the ground beneath me blur, enjoying the feel of the cool wind against my skin.

* * *

I yawned absentmindedly as we flew into the mouth of Marshall's cave.

"Tired?" He asked as he landed on the deck, letting me go.

I rubbed my eyes. "A little, yeah."

"Well, I'm sorry if I ruined your beauty sleep," he said jokingly as he entered his house. "I don't see why you need it though."

I trailed behind him, suddenly feeling wide-awake. "What?"

He whirled around, thrusting a picnic basket in my direction. "Think fast!"

Instinctively I caught in it my arms. The basket was small and light; I peeked inside it but it was empty. I eyed Marshall curiously. "What is this for?"

"I'm hungry," he said as he headed towards his kitchen. I followed and saw him rummaging through his refrigerator. "We need to bring some food."

With only a few red items, the fridge was nearly empty. I remembered then that Marshall could only eat things that were red, and when he did, he only sucked out the colour rather than eating the object itself.

Marshall grabbed a bowl of strawberries and handed them to me. He tossed an apple into the air while I placed the bowl gently into the basket. I maneuver the basket in time for the fruit to drop safely inside.

"Nice catch," he applauded.

I grinned proudly and gave him the basket. "Where to now, mister?"

"The forest," he replied. "I know the perfect spot to hang."

* * *

We flew over the Candy Kingdom and the Cotton Candy Forest, towards the edge of the Mountain Kingdom where a dense forest stretched across the area. We descended through the trees and settled onto a small circular clearing. There were a couple fallen trees and a burnt out campfire in between two particularly large logs.

Marshall had brought his axe-bass along, and was sliding the strap off his shoulders, resting it gently against one of the logs. I took a seat on the same log while he bent over the fire pit, whipping out a matchbox from the picnic basket. He must have slipped it in before we had left his house. Wanting to feel useful, I got up, gathered some dry sticks, and set them in the pit on the ashes of the last fire. With the strike of his match, a dim spark lit up the forest. The fire slowly engulfed its fuel, the soft glow casting shadows on the vampire's face. He placed more sticks, grass and larger branches into the growing flames, embers drifting into the night sky.

I returned to my spot on the log and Marshall followed suit, sitting himself beside me. He positioned the basket between us and picked out an exceptionally large strawberry. I watched him bite into it as I casually wondered a few things out loud.

"What does that taste like?"

I must've caught him off guard because he paused, his teeth still sunk into the flesh of the fruit and staring at me as if I've just asked something incredibly stupid. He narrowed his eyes at me. "Huh?"

I pointed at the half-red strawberry. "What does that taste like? Y'know, the colour."

He removed the fruit from his mouth and drops of red liquid trailed from his fangs. "The red?" He held the strawberry high, like it was some kind of sacred object.

I nodded.

He pressed the fruit to his lips and inhaled its scent. "It tastes just like blood."

He opened his mouth, piercing the delicate blood-red skin. I watched him drain the colour, leaving pure white in place of the original crimson. He wiped his lips, some red smearing over the back of his hand. I tried to stop myself from thinking of blood, but my stomach churned a bit anyways.

He saw my wide eyes and laughed. "I was just kidding."

"I know," I muttered.

He offered me the white strawberry and grabbed an apple from the basket. I hesitated before taking a small bite, a little afraid of what it would taste like with no colour. It was surprisingly sweet and I popped the whole fruit into my mouth, leaving nothing but the leafy stem, which I flicked into the on-going fire.

"I can't really describe it," he said, crunching into the ripe apple. He sucked in the dark maroon colour and smacked his lips. "It just tastes…red."

He passed me the fruit and I held the round thing in one palm, grabbing my sword from my backpack with the other. Carefully, I sliced the apple into smaller morsels. I placed the blade beside me and stuffed the apple pieces into my mouth, one by one, all of the sudden becoming conscious of my hunger.

Whilst chewing on the last slice, I asked, "Why do some people think vampires drink blood, anyways?"

Marshall leaned back with his hands behind his head, floating, and crossed his legs. "Some pre-war myth, I guess."

I swallowed. I hardly ever thought about the world before the war. I mean, why would I? That was the past. And this was now. But sometimes I wonder…

"You're, like, a thousand years old right? Were you around during the war?"

I noticed his body stiffen.

"Marshall?"

"I don't remember," he said sharply, his voice empty. He stared off to space, a distant look in his mysterious eyes.

It was pretty obvious he did remember something, and it was a painful memory, I knew. Was it something about his mother? Whatever it was, I apologized for prying. When he didn't answer, I decided to change the subject to avoid another awkward silence.

"What did you want to show me again?"

"Huh?"

"You said you wanted to show me something," I reminded him. "Back at the Treefort."

He nodded to the sky where millions of bright stars winked in the shadows of the night. "Look."

I did and I was mesmerized by the little twinkling lights that were fixed onto the black canvas. It surprised me that you could see so much of the sky in such a small clearing.

"Is this it? The stars?" I worried that I sounded curt and quickly added, "They're pretty."

"Yeah," he admitted. "They look real nice over here. They're so far away…but it's like I could scoop them all up from here." He stretched his arms towards the sky and pretended to touch the stars with his fingers.

I laid onto my side on the log, growing tired and sleepy all over again. My eyelids were feeling heavy and I struggled to fight the fatigue away. I closed my eyes, promising myself that it would only be a short nap; ten minutes maximum.

At first, I didn't recognize the strum of a bass guitar that played a lovely tune – my mind had tuned it out for a while. But a smooth voice started singing along in harmony, and I forced my eyes to open just a crack. I couldn't see Marshall in my field of vision since I was facing away, but I was well aware that it was his voice I was hearing. The words sung were unclear, but I knew they were beautiful anyways.

I shut my eyes again, letting the crackle of the fire and the peacefulness of his song lull me to sleep.

* * *

**What is plot.**

**I was going to introduce it in this chapter, but I ended up writing more than what I planned, so it'll probably come around next chapter.**

**I really need to add some more Adventure Time vocabulary...  
**

**If you find any mistakes, have any suggestions, or something doesn't make sense to you, please let me know! I'm always trying to improve my writing, but I'm going to need your input!  
**

**And special thanks to ****_Adventure time girl 123_**** for your picnic suggestion! That really helped me in writing this chapter :D**

**P.S OMG MARSHALL LEE'S VOICE HHNNNNNNGGG IN THAT SNEAK PEEK VIDEO ASDFGHJKLWSDCFVJBHKJKDVBHA /fangirling**


	4. Chapter 4

**Thank you for the reviews, favourites, and follows - I really appreciate them :D**

**It makes me happy to know that some of you like this random story! It gives me more motivation to keep writing! Again, thank you!**

**Oh, I should mention that I constantly keep editing the past chapters because of some small errors and mistakes that I find (because I'm so OCD). The changes don't really affect the story, except I changed the lyric to the _Pie Song_ Marshall sung in the first chapter (I only changed one word okay). This change isn't very important now, but will be, later in the story. Just a heads up.**

***I don't own Adventure Time***

* * *

When I woke up, the first thing I noticed was that Marshall was gone. It was strange because I couldn't feel his presence, but for some reason I could smell him. I promptly sat up and realized he had laid his plaid button up shirt over me, sometime when I was asleep.

The campfire was burnt out but the scent of charred wood still lingered. I stood up and saw that the picnic basket was still sitting beside me, but took note that Marshall's bass had vanished.

I looked around frantically, calling out his name, but nothing stirred in the trees. I slipped my backpack on and picked up my sword. With my free hand, I grabbed the basket and sauntered into a thicker patch of trees. Leaves blocked some of the sunlight and rays of sunshine streamed down in random places on the narrow dirt path before me.

Walking alone through the woods didn't scare me – actually, I found it quite thrilling. I guess I'm a pretty brave person when it comes to adventures and mysteries and bad guys. The only thing that ever made me nervous was being with Marshall. Yeah, I might have had a little crush on Prince Gumball in the past, but we sorted things out and now we're just buddies. But whenever I talk to Marsh, I would get all sweaty, gut-twisty and afraid that I'd say the wrong thing and screw everything up. I habitually try to act extra cool around him to hide my nerves and junk, in hopes that he wouldn't notice the anxiety emanating off of me.

Our friendship was kind of fragile now – mostly because of his sudden mood changes. He wasn't always like that though – moody. He was cool and collected, and found amusement in playing tricks on people – which he mostly directed to me. He never talked much about himself, other than the fact that he loved music and ate red things.

"Fi?"

I lifted my gaze up towards the sound of my name and saw Cake stretching through the treetops.

"Fi, where the glob were you?" She grabbed me and hugged tightly. "I was so worried!"

I hesitated a little. "Marshall took me out on a…" What did we have, anyways? A picnic? A walk?

"On a _date_?" Her voice was incredulous.

"What? _No!_" My cheeks burned as I tried to convince Cake it was absolutely _not_ a date. She was still unconvinced so I gave up trying.

"It was a picnic date, wasn't it?" She guessed, pointing at the basket I was holding. "Have any left overs? I'm starving." She peered inside, drooling, but the hungry look on her face changed when she saw something peculiar in the basket. "Huh?"

"What is it?" I asked, curious.

She reached in and pulled out a small piece of paper – a note, she said. Her large eyes darted across the words as she read them out loud,

_"I'm glad we got to hang last night. Hope it wasn't too boring, not beating up bad dudes and all. It was nice to have a little break from everything. Sorry I had to leave without telling you. The sun was coming out and stuff. I didn't want to wake you._

_P.S. You can keep the shirt for a while, if you want._

_-Marshall Lee"_

I went red in the face as I looked down noticed I was wearing his shirt. I must've put in on in a daze before leaving the clearing. I fumbled with the buttons to undo them, but Cake stopped me and said I looked good in it. That only made my blush worse.

"I should get it back to him though," I argued.

Cake sighed. "Yeah, sure, but do that later. Gumball called this morning, and he asked us to come to the Candy Castle."

"Is he in trouble? Is it urgent?"

"I don't know , he didn't say–"

"Well I'm sure he can figure things out," I said, a bit too harshly. "I'm going to Marshall's place." I started walking in the direction where I thought would lead me north out of this forest. I wanted to see Marshall again. I wanted to hear his deep voice sing softly in my ear, like last night.

"No, Fionna!" Cake leaped onto my head, clutching onto the bunny ears of my hat. "I've been looking all over for you _all day_ – you ain't leaving again!"

"Cake, I can take care of myself," I insisted.

"I know, girl, but Marshall's unpredictable and kinda whacked-up. He took you out at night, in the middle of a forest for glob's sake!" She paused for a second and lowered her voice before continuing, "I don't really trust him, to be honest."

I wanted to prove to Cake that Marshall was trustworthy, but how? I didn't have a good enough comeback and I remained silent, because what she said was true. Marshall _was_ a bit of a nut case, I couldn't deny it. I liked hanging out with him last night though, but we didn't do much, had we? Sure, we had small talk, ate a bit and looked at stars, but I had slept pretty much right away once we settled ourselves in the small campsite. I bit my lip and stared at the grassy earth beneath my feet. Plopping myself onto the ground, I groaned. I was still so tired, and standing had made me a little dizzy. I rubbed my temples and contemplated what to do. My heart yearned to see Marshall, but I knew I had to go see what was up with Gumball.

Cake was still atop my head and I picked her up, holding her in front of my face. "Fine, I'll go to the castle. But it better be important."

* * *

Prince Gumball was waiting for us at the entrance to his castle. He looked serious and suddenly I wondered what he needed us for.

"Fionna, Cake, thank you for coming," Gumball said. "I have some troubling news, and it concerns Marshall Lee."

I perked up. "Marshall?" I exclaimed.

"Yes. He came to me this morning and asked me for a favour," he explained as he led us into the grand hall. "I think he's up to something."

I was genuinely surprised because he and Marshall were never really on good terms. I never knew why, but they had always seemed to hate each other's guts. So why would Marshall decide to go visit Gumball all of the sudden?

"What'd he want?" I questioned.

Gumball stopped walking and turned to face me. "He told me too keep you safe."

I narrowed my eyes. "From _what_?"

"I'm not quite sure," he said sullenly. "But I'm assuming that he's leaving for a while."

"B-but we were just –" I stuttered. "I was with him last night. If he was going away he would've told me." _Right?_

"Well, I'm just afraid that that _butt_ is going to go do something incredibly stupid," Gumball muttered with obvious annoyance in his voice.

Cake and I looked at each other worriedly. Marshall had asked Prince Gumball – the very prince I have to constantly save from the Ice Queen – to protect _me_? It's not that Gumball isn't capable of fighting for himself, but usually _I_ do the saving and the protecting. And what the glob did I even need protecting from?

"You're right," I mumbled to Cake, "maybe Marsh really _is_ super bunk in the head."

* * *

**I find FionnaxGumball very cute, but in this story, Gum is more of a big brother figure to Fionna, I guess.**

**There will be more into that in the next chapter (and maybe some hints about Gum and Marshall's past relationship/friendship I dunno just saying. Haven't decided yet haha.)**

**If there's something you don't understand, don't be afraid to ask! I'm pretty sure there's some things in this story that I didn't really explain very well :I**

**Thanks for reading!**


	5. Chapter 5

**I'm not dead. c:**

**Well it's been more than a month since I last updated. I'm so sorry omg**

**Ahhh stupid school getting in the way of my creative juices 8(**

**Well I hope this chapter kinda makes up for it, even though it's still pretty short.**

**kthxbai**

* * *

"Glob, that smells really good." I inhaled the warm smell of cherries wafting from the freshly baked pie that sat on the smooth marbled candy counter of the castle's royal kitchen.

Gumball was slicing it into six equal pieces while I was hungrily hovering over it, growing impatient every second. He was baking a whole assortment of desserts for the annual royal party tonight, and he had asked me to help out. Baking wasn't really my thing, and he knew that, but it was just something to do to get our minds off of Marshall.

"It's very hot, so please do be careful," Gumball warned.

I cautiously poked the crust with my fingertip and flinched at the heat. The pie was a little misshapen since I had been the one who made it – that was the only reason Gum was letting me eat it, really. I wasn't upset at all at his unwillingness to serve it at the party, because that meant that I got to have a couple slices of my first sloppy attempt at pie baking.

Once I was sure it had cooled down just enough to be eaten, I picked up a big, mouth-watering piece and took a large bite. The moist filling of the pie was still slightly hot but I ignored it and enjoyed the sweet, sticky taste of cherries. I let out a satisfied moan. "It tastes delish. I can't believe I actually baked this!"

Gumball chuckled behind me. "Baking is just simple chemistry. Nothing complicated," he said humbly.

"Uh-huh." I didn't really get any of the science junk he always talked about, but I nodded along to whatever he was saying anyways. As he droned on about his baking-chemistry-science-klunk, I became aware of Cake's sudden absence.

"Cake?" I called with my mouth full. I guess I was too busy with making the pie to notice that she had left. I swallowed and called again.

"I believe she's with Mochro," I heard Gum reply.

As if on cue, Cake and Lord Monochomicorn came strolling into the kitchen.

"Oh sweet babies!" she exclaimed. "What smells so good?"

"I baked this pie." I held the pastry I had made and presented it to her.

She stared at it for a while and I could see that she was turned off by the messiness of the crust, so I quickly assured her that it tasted better than it looked. Reluctantly, she popped a slice into her mouth.

"Honey, this is globtastic!" She took another two slices, scarfing one down and offering the other to Lord Mochro who happily devoured it whole.

"See, Peegles," I sneered, facing the prince. "I told you it would still be good enough for the party."

He chuckled and placed a pink hand on my shoulder. "I'm sorry I've ever doubted you, Fionna."

I smirked and tried not to blush. "Eh, I forgive you, prince."

He smiled before turning away, grabbing a few plates of assorted fruit tarts and sugar cookies from the counter before proceeding out the doorway.

Cake eyed me suspiciously, and I knew immediately what she was thinking.

I spun around with my mouth agape. "What? I'm _totes_ over him, Cake!"

"I don't know what you're talking about honey." She waved her hand at me in dismissal. "I thought you were in love with that vampire dude?"

Instead of retorting, I stayed quiet as I was reminded of Marshall. Baking had done its job to distract me from him, but I wasn't going to forget about his disappearance forever. It was only a matter of time I would start thinking about him again. I slumped onto a chair and propped my elbows up against my lap, resting my chin in my hands. Did I really need protecting? I was fine on my own. I think I could handle whatever I needed protecting from.

"I've been meaning to ask…"

I glanced to the side and saw Gumball walking gracefully towards me. I straightened up immediately – I knew how much Gum cared about correct posture.

"Why are you wearing Marshall's shirt?" He inquired, pointing curiously at me.

I tugged lightly at the red fabric. "Oh, uh, I think Marsh put it on me as a blanket last night when I fell asleep. So now I'm just wearing it."

"I see," Gum said flatly.

I sighed. "But I need to return this to him. That's why I want – _need_ – to know where he is."

"Well, I can't help you with that, but would you mind helping me with the decorations for the party? I need someone to help me put up the streamers and the Jelly Kinders."

"I'm all about helping people, dude. Of _course_ I'll help!" I leaped off my chair and followed him back into the grand hall.

* * *

Upbeat music filled the room and the royals from other kingdoms danced to the rhythm, looking like they were having fun. Obviously, I wasn't a royal, but I was Gumball's friend and I freaking helped set up the whole party so it was pretty clear Cake and I were mandatory guests. I had no dress to wear too, and I was more than happy about that. I hung around the back, close to the spiral stairs, watching the party while nibbling on a decadent chocolate cupcake with a surprise chocolate mousse filling. I guess I looked bored because Lumpy Space Prince drifted over to me, urging me to join the growing crowd.

"This party is gonna be more lumpin' awesome if you come dance with us, Fionna," he said, waving his stubby purple arms in the air.

I didn't answer because LSP didn't give me a choice – he just dragged me along with him with strength I didn't know he possessed.

It's not that I didn't want to have fun at this party, I just felt horribly guilty enjoying myself without Marshall. He was always around during Gumball's parties and balls. He would eat all the red from the platter of baked goods and play his music when Gumball wasn't around so the prince wouldn't complain about his "distasteful" lyrics.

As a Vampire King, he would've been invited to this party too, so he wouldn't have to sneak in or crash the party like he usually did. I tried telling myself that Marshall leaving wasn't something to worry about. Nothing could hurt him – he was a globbin' vampire, and not to mention he was immortal.

But the thought that I actually needed to be protected scared me a little, as much as I hated to admit.

I was starting to loosen up on the dance floor when a high pitch scream erupted from the crowd. The music stopped abruptly and dancing ceased. Heads were whipping this way and that, curious to where the scream came from, murmurs rippling through the crowd.

A circle was forming around a pale shape in the middle of the room. I pushed through walls of people and saw that somebody had already called the candy doctors and they were poking the bluish, lifeless skin of the form. I gasped as I realized that the body belonged to Cotton Candy Prince – but his usual powder blue hue was replaced with a dull, slate blue shade. His jaw hung loosely and his eyes were wide, staring into something far away. I thought for a brief second that he was dead, but a ghastly moan came from his lips and his eyes slowly blinked.

A wicked cackle resonated in the grand hall and black flashes bounced from corner to corner of the room. People shrieked and many of them rushed outside to leave the castle. The shape stopped at the entrance, blocking the fear-stricken princes from exiting. Instead, they shook in terror, scurrying to get as far away from the dark figure as possible.

I got a look of the mysterious being – I squinted and saw that it was in fact, a _lady_.

Her glossy, black hair was slicked back into a tight bun on top of her head. She wore a black suit that flared at the bottom. A pencil skirt of the same dark colour hugged her waist, forming a womanly silhouette. Her beady pink eyes darted across the room until they landed on mine. Her smile broadened, stretching from ear to ear. Taking giant steps with her lanky legs, she strode towards me, her pasty grey skin looking even more ashen as she got closer.

I took out my sword immediately and held it out so the pointy tip of the blade was almost touching her neck. "Stay back!" I yelled.

"So you are the human child?" she snarled.

"What of it?" I tried to make my voice sound as intimidating as possible. Clearly, I had failed because the lady only smiled wider, her eyes looking hungry.

"I haven't had a human soul in _years_." The way she drawled on the word _years_ chilled my spine. I gripped the hilt of my sword tighter, my knuckles whitening.

"Don't step closer or I'll stab you, right through your neck!"

She threw her head back and howled in laughter. I narrowed my eyes, to show that I was dead serious.

"You cannot kill me!" she roared.

She opened her mouth, to reveal sharp looking teeth and fangs. She sucked in the air and I suddenly felt a sense of dizziness. It was like a part of me, my conscious, was being ripped out of my own body.

The next thing I knew, a blur of grey tackled the lady, but I couldn't tell what it was. I was on the floor, my eyes pounding and my mind still spinning.

"I can't believe this!" A deep, familiar voice shouted at her. I recognized it and I shot up – which was a horrible idea, because I felt dizzy all over again, black splotches obscuring my vision.

"Just leave us all alone!"

The person who's voice it belonged to was standing right above me, like he was trying to shield me. I reached out a hand and wrapped it around slim ankles. I lift my eyes and sink in the familiar bluish skin, the pointy ears that jutted out from locks of long black hair, and the fiery red eyes that softened as it met mine.

I spoke softly. "Marshall?"

* * *

**Here have a cliffhanger *evil laugh***

**Umm I feel like I haven't been describing things with enough detail lately. Like, I've been just ****_telling_****, not really ****_showing. _****I guess that's something I need to work on :I**

**Anyways, thanks for the follows, favourites, and reviews! I really ****_REALLY_**** appreciate them ;D**

**_Now onwards to type up the next chapterrrr~~_**


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